A true conservative, a Christian, and a Tennessean, I hope to contribute my two-cents on politics, policy issues, life, and sports.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Saturday Headline Outrage

Why do I even bother with the Knoxville News-Sentinel's Saturday edition? It's the second-most irritating reading of the week, behind the Sunday paper that should be published in communist red.

Here are just some of the headlines that raised my blood pressure this weekend from the "Local" section:

"Foreign dependents have rights to to workers' comp aid" - Gee, thanks, liberal Tennessee Supreme Court. Is it even worth the General Assembly attempting to fight illegal immigration when the Executive Branch does nothing to solve the problem and the Judicial Branch grants rights to nationals of other countries? Also, I could have guessed that Justice Connie Clark wrote this opinion. She's Bredesen's 2005 pick to the Supreme Court who was probably picked for the High Court due to her longstanding service on the Tennessee Democratic Party's Executive Committee. Expect more of the same as Bredesen continues to appoint Democrats to all open judicial slots.

"Ford says that he can't afford lawyer" - As many of you know, I work in the state courts of East Tennessee. Most of my clients are indigent, and I represent them through appointments by the courts. To receive indigent counsel (either in the form of the Public Defender's Office or a private attorney), a defendant has to first qualify by filing an Affidavit that lists one's assets, debts, employment, etc. This story states that former Senator Ford earned nearly $100,000 last year. I have personally witnessed Tennesseans denied court-appointed attorneys who earn 1/5 of Ford's take from 2006, much less his $207,285 in reported income (and God knows how much unreported income is there regarding the alleged bribes and kickbacks). He doesn't deserve an appointed lawyer, and the Court is making a grave and wasteful decision if it allows him one. Heck, let Harold Ford, Jr. defend him. He says he's a lawyer, after all...

"Berrong takes issue with citizen's complaints" - Am I the only one who wonders why the Blount County Sheriff's Department thinks that it has to replace police cars every 100,000 miles? I surely can't replace my car every 100,000 miles. Why is the government any different?